


A Day In The Life

by princejoopie



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Apocalypse, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, But he also sucks, Chapter 1 is pretty benign but don't let your guard down, Chapter 2 is rough, Gun Violence, He needs one more than usual this time, His name is July he is my son, Hitman OC, I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, In case you couldn't tell, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Lots of Angst, Other, The Commission, This hurts I'm gonna warn you right now, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-11
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-02-01 05:44:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21402892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princejoopie/pseuds/princejoopie
Summary: Klaus hadn't really been expecting to run into any time-traveling murderers today, aside from his brother, of course.(AKA another hitman is after Five, and this time, things get personal.)
Relationships: Dave/Klaus Hargreeves (mentioned)
Comments: 48
Kudos: 156





	1. A Lucky Man Who Made the Grade

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by a particular tumblr post, which I'm going to link once the next chapter is up, but I don't want to give away any spoilers quite yet. This chapter is pretty benign but, as you can tell from the tags, if you'd have any problems with some quite heavy violence then be advised that you may be better off skipping Chapter 2. (And before you ask, no, I physically cannot come up with titles that aren't songs/lyrics.)

July assembled his gun in silence. He, like the man he was sent to kill, always worked alone. But once it was fully put together and tossed onto the small armchair in the corner, he pulled out his mp3 player and headphones and practically threw himself onto the bed.

He sighed, with Sgt. Pepper ringing through his ears and a deep sense of numbness everywhere else. He was used to his job by now. In the year he’d been there, he quickly rose through the ranks to become one of his boss’s top hitmen. Behind only Hazel and Cha-Cha, and of course Number Five, if he’d still been there.

He thought back on the day his boss found him, half-dead and desperate for any way out. She took him under her wing and taught him everything, from how the Commission worked, to some things about his past that even he didn’t know. It was the same way most people had started there.

July’s eyelids were heavy and itching, but before he drifted off, he forced himself to stand, tossing his mp3 player onto the chair and grabbing the rifle instead, followed by the pistol on his nightstand, and walked through the door into the brisk night.

It was the second hour of April, and the wind cut through his suit with ease, making him shiver. But he wasn’t about to lug his guns out to the car in broad daylight tomorrow, so he gritted his teeth and carried on.

When he finished and returned to his room, he walked straight into the bathroom before he had the chance to nearly fall asleep again. He stripped off his blazer and white button-down, hanging them on the hook on the back of the door. He then washed his face with the pitifully tiny bar of motel soap, and cursed under his breath when he got a bit in his eye.

After he dried his face on the thin white towel, he stared himself down in the mirror. While he'd never show it to anyone, he was _ nervous. _ Position in the company aside, he'd only been there for a year, and he was _ already _ being tasked with taking down one of the best assassins in the Commission's history. Hazel was on the verge of defecting. And Cha-Cha was focusing on Hazel instead of the mission. So July was next in line. But the other two had more skill and _ way _ more experience than him. If _ they _ couldn't do it, how could _ he? _

He sighed, still looking in the mirror, examining his tired eyes, his mess of hair, the light stubble on his chin. All things no one could ever see behind the mask. Nor could they see all the scars earned in his past year of work. One across the left side of his jaw, another near the center of his chest, a large one running down his right shoulder blade. And of course, all the ones across his abdomen. The ones he’d put there himself.

Finally, he turned on his heel and switched off the bathroom light as he walked back into the main room. He kicked off his shoes and socks, followed by his pants, and dropped unceremoniously onto the bed. He tried to settle himself in, but the mattress was hard and uncomfortable, the blanket too itchy, the pillow too thin.

Reminding himself that it was much better than where he’d been a year ago, he finally forced himself to keep his eyes shut for long enough to drift off to sleep.

-

As the clock hit nine the next morning, July was just stepping into the shower.

The water cascaded over him, too cold, but with handles too finicky to fix it, and he began washing his hair while humming a short tune to himself. He closed his eyes to rinse out the shampoo, but as he finished and opened them, he once again saw the scars.

His teeth clenched in anger at the sight of them. All the slashes extending across the center of his stomach. There had to be nearly two dozen of them. He looked back up, trying not to think about them, or why he put them there, and he pointedly avoided laying his eyes on them again for the rest of the shower.

Nor did he look at them as he toweled off, and, while feeling around for the buttons on his shirt took longer, it was for his own sake mentally.

Clean and dressed, he stepped outside into the morning breeze, which wasn’t as cold as the previous night, but was still enough to have him shivering and cursing to himself on his way to the car.

He closed the door- a bit too forcefully- and leaned back into the driver’s seat, sighing to himself. Hazel and Cha-Cha had already done the hard work of finding out the address. All July had to do was show up. That, and take out one of the most well-trained assassins ever, who also happened to be able to teleport. That was all.

The Handler had saved his life before, but she couldn’t help him now. While he had size in his favor, a hundred and ninety-seven pounds of muscle against a skinny thirteen year old, he knew he could never outpace Five in terms of wit or agility. And the teleportation certainly didn’t help.

July tried to shake himself out of his thoughts, jamming the key into the ignition so the roar of the engine might pull him back to reality and away from his racing mind. He turned up the radio and sped out of the parking lot, thinking over his plan to go get a coffee and something to eat, and then head for the mansion right after that.

It took some time for July to find a coffee shop. When he arrived at the only one he knew of off the top of his head, it seemed a fair bit... exploded. The closest one from there was about half a mile in the opposite direction from where he needed to be, but it would have to do.

The wait wasn’t short, even though it was a bit past the time that most people would be getting to work. That was probably thanks to Griddy’s having been exploded and all. Upon finally getting his cranberry muffin and his mocha, July settled in at a small table near the corner.

He felt like all eyes were on him. He was in a white button-down, with a black blazer, black slacks, and a black bow tie. Freshly shaven, no mask, nothing. He looked like any businessman would. It was just this gut instinct he had as a hitman, this nagging feeling that everyone was watching him and knew he was about to kill someone.

As soon as he finished the muffin, he hurried back to his car, opting to finish the coffee there instead. Shutting his eyes and leaning back into the headrest, he forced himself to take a deep breath. He could feel his heartbeat throbbing through his brain, and he knew the coffee probably wasn’t helping with his nerves.

Reluctantly, he sat up and started the car again. He wanted to floor it in the opposite direction, just leave the city and drive for hours. Maybe figure out where Hazel was, call him, ask him how he did it.

He leaned forward, arms and forehead slumped against the steering wheel, just wanting someone, _ anyone _ else to make the decision for him. He could do his job and probably be killed, or he could run away and probably be killed. He could be brave, but it would be _ so, so easy _ to be a coward.

Pushing the gear stick into drive, he sighed to himself and drove off in the direction of the Hargreeves’ mansion.

-

Upon his arrival, after he parked just around the corner from the main entrance, the first thing July did was pull his ski mask from the pocket of his blazer and slip it over his head.

It was surprising how white it still was given everything it had been through. The fact that OxiClean removes blood stains quite well is common knowledge among women and contract killers.

Next came his sunglasses, simple and black, and just opaque enough to maintain his anonymity.

He quickly straightened his bowtie in the mirror before stepping out of the car and walking hastily to the trunk. He had to be fast if he wanted to remain unseen.

Rifle in hand and pistol tucked firmly into his jacket, he closed the trunk and stepped carefully onto the main road. There wasn’t much of anyone around- likely because most people would be at work on a Monday morning- so July could swiftly make his way to the door with little concern. The lock hadn’t been replaced since Hazel and Cha-Cha had been there, so he had no trouble entering, hopefully before anyone else had seen him.

As he stepped into the enormous foyer, he found himself distracted by all the ornate detailing, from the windows above the stairs to the woodwork of the doors and second-floor railings.

“You just missed Hazel.”

The voice snapped July out of his reverie and he whipped back around to see a young teenager leaned against a large arching doorway, holding a margarita glass and looking unperturbed by July’s sudden appearance. “You must be the new guy the Handler mentioned.”

July raised his gun halfway, not yet aiming at Five but ready to.

“What did you think you would accomplish with a couple grenades, huh?” he asked. His voice remained firm despite his anxieties, and his hands remained steady enough on the gun despite their slight shake. “Did you think it would be hard for us to rebuild, to reestablish a plan? You should know better than anyone else that if there’s one thing we have there, it’s _ time. _”

July raised his gun fully, and for several slow, tense seconds they stared each other down in silence.

Then came the footsteps on the stairs.

He and Five simultaneously turned to see a man, lanky, wearing a green vest and a pair of headphones over his mop of brown hair. The man froze halfway down the stairs when he looked up from his iPod and saw them. Five, wide-eyed, shook his head slightly at him.

But before he could retreat, July turned and aimed the gun at him. The man slowly removed his headphones, his deer-in-the-headlights stare making July grit his teeth in annoyance.

After a moment of staring him down, July lowered the gun and growled, “ _ Go. _”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it - and I hope chapter 2 doesn't take me goddamn forever because I am the slooowest writer. As always, feedback is appreciated. <333


	2. They'd Seen His Face Before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was screaming, right into Klaus’s face, and- God, no, this couldn’t be happening, _this couldn't be happening,_ everything was all wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiii so I was determined to get this done a week after chapter 1 and it's after midnight EST as I upload this but it's still the 18th elsewhere so I consider it a success, or at least that's what I tell myself. This chapter is a _wild_ ride. Some not-insignificant physical violence (see tags) and hoo boy, a whole-ass emotional roller coaster. I happened to start planning this out the day after I rewatched Pulp Fiction so..... Say what again.

Klaus hadn't really been expecting to run into any time-traveling murderers today, aside from his brother, of course.

He was nearly three days sober, and the withdrawals were  _ bad, _ but that one moment earlier of touching Ben- or rather, Ben touching him- was enough inspiration to stay clean for the time being. Their attempts to replicate the feat had been unsuccessful all morning, though. And Klaus needed to get out of his room to have a smoke and think.

He was flipping through songs on his iPod as he crossed over the threshold from the cramped hall of bedrooms into the house’s grand entranceway.

But as he rounded the corner and began descending the main staircase, Klaus looked up and stopped in his tracks as he saw a large man in a suit and bowtie, sunglasses covering his eyes and a white ski mask covering the rest. And the man had a large gun trained on Five. The pair’s attention quickly shifted to Klaus, though. Five's eyes were wide, and he slightly shook his head as if to say,  _ Go, now! _ But before Klaus could, the other man whipped around to point the gun at him.

Klaus pulled off his headphones, and he and the apparent hitman stared each other down for what felt more like years than seconds. Klaus couldn’t truthfully say that he’d ever complain if he were to die unexpectedly. At least then he'd get to see Dave again. But just as he thought he was about to be blown to pieces right there in the foyer-

“Go,” the man said coldly.

And Klaus did.

He turned and ran, nearly tripping on the stairs, until he was all the way down the hall and back in his room. He shut the door and slammed himself back against it. He’d lost his cigarette somewhere in the process, but he didn't care.

His heart was pounding so fast in his ears. The last time a hitman showed up for Five, Klaus was kidnapped and tortured, and put through all the hell and love Vietnam had to offer.

He sunk to the floor, eyes tightly closed, trying to muffle his fearful sobs. He  _ couldn’t _ time travel again. He  _ couldn’t _ fall in love again. He  _ couldn’t  _ handle another heartbreak like that. He grabbed Dave’s tags, holding them up to his cheek as he shook.

And when a spirit called, “ _ Hey, _ ” from across the room, he inhaled sharply and his heart jumped, as he almost thought it was Dave.  _ Finally. _

“Just breathe.”

Klaus let out another quiet sob when he recognized Ben’s voice. Not that he wasn’t comforted by his brother's presence. It just wasn’t Dave.

“Breathe, Klaus,” Ben said gently, crouching down next to him. “The guy isn’t looking for you. You’re gonna be okay.” And as if he could read Klaus’s mind, he added, “It’s not gonna happen again.”

Klaus tried to relax. He tried to breathe. But it was so hard not to cry and shake with fear as he heard heavy footsteps running this way and that, as he heard shouting and scuffling and gunshots from somewhere in the house, followed shortly by two loud thumps, like bodies hitting the ground, and then came the absolute last thing he wanted to hear.

Silence.

Soon enough, though, he heard footsteps begin to approach, up the stairs and closer and closer to his room, and the nearer they came, the harder it was to quiet his shaking sobs. He heard one door in the hall open, then another, before the footsteps stopped suddenly. He could almost  _ feel _ the man listening to his muffled cries.

The doorknob jiggled. Klaus pushed himself back harder. But then the door was being shoved and kicked and soon Klaus was thrown to the floor. His frantic attempt to scramble away was halted by the man rushing him, pushing Klaus face-first to the floor, straddling his legs and pinning his hands behind his back.

“Now I’m only gonna ask you once!” he growled sharply as he leaned in close to Klaus's face. “WHY DID YOU FUCKING ABANDON ME?”

Klaus stared up at him, wide-eyed and fearful, gulping and stuttering out, “W-Wha-”

The man pulled his mask down and ripped off his sunglasses, yelling “WHY THE FUCK DID YOU LEAVE ME TO DIE?” And- no...

Klaus’s eyes grew impossibly wider at the sight of the big blue ones glaring down at him.

“...Dave?”

"DON’T CALL ME THAT!” he roared. “IT’S JULY NOW!”

“I- I’m sorry,” Klaus whimpered.

“TELL ME! WHY THE FUCK DID YOU LEAVE ME THERE!?” He was screaming, right into Klaus’s face, and- God, no, this couldn’t be happening, this  _ couldn't _ be happening, everything was all wrong.

“I- You...” his voice was hardly above a whisper, his eyes watering again. “You were dead, Dave-”

A sharp slap to Klaus’s cheek caused him to yelp. “I TOLD YOU NOT TO FUCKING CALL ME THAT!”

A choking, shuddering cough forced it's way out of Klaus's lungs. “Y-” Another gasp. “You-”

“TELL ME!” July shouted, grabbing a handful of Klaus's hair and pulling it harshly.

He let out a squeak of pain. “You- You were  _ dead! _ I didn’t know you w-"

“BULLSHIT, I KNOW YOU KNEW I WAS ALIVE!”

“I  _ didn’t, _ Dave! I thought-“

A pistol was shoved against Klaus's head, the rough metal clunk on his temple reverberating through his skull. “CALL ME THAT ONE MORE FUCKING TIME, I DARE YOU!”

“I-” A sharp gasping inhale tore through his lungs. “I’m sorry, Da- J- July.”

“Now  _ tell me, _ ” the man growled harshly, pushing the gun down harder, “Why the  _ fuck _ did you leave me alone there you son of a bitch?”

“I told you, I-” The tears were rolling down Klaus's face sideways and dripping onto the floor. “I didn’t know. I didn’t mean to, Dave! I promise, I-”

An ear-splitting  _ BANG! _ and his own scream of pain cut his sentence short as a bullet ripped through his right shoulder.

Klaus dropped his head back to the ground. He didn’t move, save for the shudders that shook his body with each painful sob. He felt so utterly shattered, inside and out. That unconditional love that Dave had always promised him... that Dave had promised him  _ three days ago _ ... Where was it now.  _ What happened to him. _

The cold metal of the gun was pressed to his temple again. “Give me one fucking reason not to kill you right now,” July growled.

“I'm sorry,” Klaus choked out. A couple more gasping sobs. “I- I love you.”

_ CRACK! _ The butt of July’s gun was rammed into the side of his head and he was out like a light.

Slowly, July sat back on his heels, staring at the man beneath him. The man he once loved. The man who, apparently, still loved him.

“ _ Forget him, _ ” she’d said. “ _ He knew you were still alive, and he left you there. _ ”

Even if that was true- even if he truly did leave July behind in Vietnam, it seemed that Klaus himself hadn't fully left either. He was still wearing the vest, July noted, as he climbed off of the man's legs and rolled him over onto his back.

July had spent the past  _ year _ wanting Klaus dead, and  _ dreaming _ he’d be the one to kill him. But here he was, with his gun in hand and Klaus unconscious beneath him, and he couldn’t even bring himself to look at the darkening purple bruise on the side of the man’s head, let alone raise the gun and pull the trigger.

He felt sick to his stomach, even more so when noticed a few small lines and patterns extending out from under Klaus’s tank top. Slowly, he reached out and pushed the striped fabric up a few inches.

**Klaus loves Dave.**

July never learned to read Thai, but he could never forget what those words said. Even as his vision started to blur too much to see them anymore.

He turned away to rub the sleeve of his jacket against his eyes, and he took a few deep breaths. He'd almost wanted to throw up at the sight of the tattoo, and he wasn’t sure if it was because he knew Klaus was lying about still loving him, or because he knew Klaus wasn't.

Turning the safety on and tucking the gun back into his coat, he started lifting himself back up to his feet, before he paused to take one last look at Klaus.

This time a metallic shine caught the sunlight, and that’s when July saw the chain around Klaus’s neck, trailing down under his shirt and out of sight.

He reached down and slipped his finger under the chain, pulling it up until he saw the dog tags. The dog tags with that name.  _ His _ name. The name he'd left behind in the mud along with the rest of his life.

July grabbed them, snapping the chain off of Klaus’s neck and turning to run from the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaaaaaa you're welcome. I hope you hate me as much as I already hate myself. Now that the twist is out of the way, I must credit the wonderful miss_galaxy_turtle on tumblr, who inspired this fic with [this post](https://miss-galaxy-turtle.tumblr.com/post/188327457109/so-i-finally-watched-spies-are-forever-and) Go support Meg and check out [my tumblr](https://princejoopie.tumblr.com/) for tua memes and such. Chapter 3 hopefully coming same time next week, and don't worry, it does get happier.


	3. A Crowd of People Turned Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> July couldn’t think. He wouldn’t even know _what_ to think if he could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHAAAA GUESS WHO'S BACK BITCHES!!! Bet y'all thought this would never be finished, (for a while I did too,) but I'm BACK, baby, with some more bs. I got a second wind and changed the entire ending I had planned, so expect the fourth and final chapter (hopefully) soon!

July couldn’t think. He wouldn’t even know  _ what _ to think if he could.

He was lying flat on his back on the motel bed, staring at the ceiling as his fingers fidgeted with the dog tags. It was nearly midnight already. Mission be damned- he’d done nothing for the rest of the day but lay in bed and stew over his emotions.

He hadn’t been called Dave in a year. But hearing it from Klaus’s lips, and seeing it worn around his neck, July found himself almost missing it.

Which felt strange and wrong to think, because July  _ hated _ Klaus. He  _ knew _ he hated Klaus, and that wasn’t up for debate. Klaus was nothing but a selfish junkie asshole and he’d never be anything more.

Klaus, who left him for dead at the first sign of struggle. Klaus, who couldn’t go a day without getting plastered. Klaus, who’d constantly wake him up with his nightmares and his crying. Klaus, who always ran to him for help. Klaus, who clung to him, held him, told him how much he lo-

_ No. _

No. That Klaus- the sweet, loving, affectionate Klaus- was long gone. He died the moment he thought July did.

Sitting up, July reached for the blanket and started to pull it over himself. Even though the heater was on full blast, the walls were paper-thin, and he still had his shirt unbuttoned from when he’d been staring at...  _ that. _

He paused and looked back down at his abdomen, examining the fragmented bits of wavy lines and intricate shapes that remained. The words were barely visible under the scars.

**Dave loves Klaus.**

_ Dave. Loves. Klaus.  _ And he had, at the time. July had  _ adored _ him back during the war, and he’d promised Klaus that he’d follow him anywhere. And that, coincidentally, turned out to be truer than he ever could’ve expected. He’d found his way back to Klaus once again.

Klaus, who followed him everywhere too. Klaus, who couldn’t help but smile upon seeing him. Klaus, who looked at him like he was the most beautiful being in existence. Klaus, who’d kiss him and hold him and treat him in a way that he’d never been treated before. Klaus, who stuck with him right up until the very end.

Klaus, who still loved him.

Klaus, who he still loved back.

Dave sighed, shrugging out of his shirt and leaning back into the bed, pulling the covers with him as he did so. Sleep would help. Sleep always helped. His racing heart and fear of dreaming about Klaus and Vietnam almost kept that from happening, but his physical and emotional exhaustion won out in the end.

Maybe the night would burn away all of the questions and doubts, and in the morning a clear path forward would appear.

-

Dave awoke the next day to find that it hadn’t.

He just wanted to run away from it all. Maybe take his briefcase and go back to Vietnam and pick up right where he left off, without Klaus this time. But he knew that wasn’t possible. He knew every tree and tent and shitty hostel would just remind him of what he used to have.

And if he did that, the Commission would probably off him pretty quickly anyway. In all honesty, that would probably happen with any of his options for getting out.

His best bet would be to suck it up and just do his job. Go back to the mansion, kill Five, maybe kill Klaus too to avoid any further distractions, then return to HQ with the good news, and wait for his next mission. Just like he always did. Just like he always would.

Sighing and rolling out of bed, Dave grabbed his now-wrinkled shirt and threw it back on. He hadn't bothered to take off his pants at all- he'd been such a wreck the day before.

Who was he kidding, he still was.

Once his shirt was buttoned, he pulled on his shoes and ran his fingers through his greasy, messy hair a couple of times, not that it would do much. He couldn't be bothered to shower either, so he just accepted the fact that he'd look like a mess and stink while he got his coffee.

But before he even had time to pull on his jacket, a loud metallic suction sound echoed through the room, coming from the drawer to the nightstand. Dave only stood frozen in place for a moment before stepping forward and opening the drawer to remove the tube from inside, which he then opened to grab the small piece of paper.

_ 7% reduction in payment due to job delay. Further reduction every 24 hours until job completion. _

Dave was about to crumple up the paper and shove the tube back into the drawer and hear it rush away, but he hesitated. His mind flashed back to the image of him in the car yesterday. The image of him, caffeinated and conflicted, asking himself over and over,  _ 'Do I do this thing or not?' _ All of the thoughts were flooding back, of options, and consequences. Of wanting to floor it in the opposite direction. Of bravery. Of cowardice.

It felt the same now as it felt then, only this time, it wasn't just about him. Now it was about Klaus too. But his choice would be the same. Do his job, or run. Be brave, or be a coward.

Well, he was sick of being a coward.

After jamming the tube back into its dock and hearing it zip off back to HQ, he tore the paper in half, then in quarters, then eighths.

He had to fix this.

He needed to find Klaus- drop to his knees and beg for Klaus’s forgiveness, help treat his wounds, do  _ anything _ he could for the slightest chance that Klaus might ever love him again. But even if that was a possibility, Klaus's brothers would never let it happen. Not after he nearly killed them all.

Dave, more than anything else, just  _ wished _ he had another chance. He  _ wished _ he could change the pas-

Eyes widening, Dave froze in place for a second, before running at top speed to the closet, nearly tripping over his own feet as he did so. Throwing the door open, Dave dropped to his knees and reached to the back corner where he'd hidden the briefcase. It was heavy as he pulled it by the handle out of the closet and as he heaved himself to his feet, nearly falling over again in the process. In his defense, though, he hadn't eaten anything since some vending machine snacks the previous afternoon, and his heart was beating faster than a heart had any right to.

Dave dropped the case onto the bed and started turning the dials, setting the date and time for the previous morning. He paused before he opened it, however. Letting go of it, he walked around the bed to the opposite nightstand. Slowly, Dave picked up his pistol and stared down at his slightly shaking hand where it was clutched. He never knew the weight of one missing bullet could be so heavy.

He shook his head quickly, trying to purge the image of Klaus's broken, bloody form from his mind. Sighing and tucking the gun into his waistband, Dave turned back to the bed, when something metallic caught the light.

He pulled back the sheets to reveal the dog tags. He’d snapped the chain the day before when he ripped them from Klaus’s neck, but that didn’t stop Dave from shoving them into his pocket before facing the briefcase once again.

He just stared down at it for a moment, feeling its cool black exterior under his hands, forcing himself to take deep breaths as he reached for the latch.

Dave clicked it open, and in a flash of blue light, he was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for waiting this long and thank you for putting up with me. Ily all <3


	4. But I Just Had to Look

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dave quickly rounded the corner into the back alley and pressed himself back against the cool bricks, breathing deeply and sighing to himself. _Fuck._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longest chapter yet!! And!!! This is the first multi-chapter fic I've ever finished so yayyy!! Hope y'all enjoy this (hopefully) enthralling finale.

He landed on his ass in the parking lot.

Dave didn't have long. He rushed to his feet and ran- clumsily, as he was still clutching the briefcase- to his rental car. Dave pulled his keys from his pocket and fumbled with them for a moment. His heart should've been beating about half as many times as it was, but after a moment, his shaking hand finally managed to unlock the back door.

Throwing it open, he placed the briefcase on the floor and tucked it as far under the passenger seat as it would go. Dave then turned to open the trunk and, glancing over his shoulder, wide-eyed, he picked up the pistol and removed the magazine from it, shaking the ammo out into his hand and pocketing it. After taking care to return the pistol to its exact position next to the rifle, he closed the trunk and walked around to the other door.

Dave climbed into the driver's side backseat and shut the door just in time to look through the rear window and see the door of the motel room open, and see himself emerge into the morning sunlight. Quickly ducking his head down, Dave dropped to the floor in front of the seat and crouched into as small and low of a ball as he could.  _ Fuck, _ he should've worn his jacket. Surely his stark white shirt would be noticed.

But Dave underestimated his former self's exhaustion, because July didn't even send a glance anywhere but the front seat as he flopped down into it and sighed deeply.

Dave couldn't move, couldn't say a word. All he could do was sit and listen to July's thoughts, which hung heavily over him, for the second day in a row. They were intimidating. All those terrified musings from his own conflicted self. Even though Dave had his mind made up now, he really didn't want to relive those feelings.

But soon enough, July started the car, and Dave could- very quietly- let out a breath of relief as they started toward the coffee shop. He found himself wondering what happened to Griddy's, realizing he'd been too distracted the day before to even question it.

Once July pulled up to the other coffee shop and got out of the car, Dave sighed, stretching out and getting himself ready to just sit and wait. The thought of the cranberry muffin his counterpart was about to get made Dave's stomach growl. His hunger and low blood sugar probably weren't helping any to calm the shaking of his hands. But he tried to keep his mind off of it by immersing himself in his thoughts again.

Just as he had the day before, he took some time to weigh out his options. He could steal the car right now- drive to the mansion and warn everyone and make sure Klaus stayed safe. But he shouldn't risk it. He should try to keep things as close as possible to the way they were the previous day. Two unconscious brothers and a missing one was probably his best-case-scenario, and Dave didn't want to fuck that up by changing anything too soon. He could just go in and save Klaus- bring him out through the window and down the fire escape, and his other self would be none the wiser. He could-

The door opened again, and July threw himself into the seat and placed his coffee in the cupholder. Dave could  _ feel _ his thoughts, could feel his own internal battle bubbling up again.

_ He'd _ made up his mind, though. He just wished he could tell July- wished he could  _ scream _ at him to  _ run,  _ tell him it's not too late to turn back, say to him,  _ 'please, whatever you do, at the very least,  _ please _ don't hurt Klaus.' _ Tell him to be brave. Dave pursed his lips to keep them from quivering as he forced himself into silence. Breathing deeply, he tried to remind himself that if everything worked out as planned, Klaus wouldn't be hurt anyway. It wasn't too late.

The car lurched as July abruptly threw it into gear and sped off down the road.

-

When the closing of the trunk shook the car, Dave started to feel his lungs burn, and he finally let out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. He didn't move yet, though. He just waited.

After a minute, he carefully raised himself up, wincing as his back cracked. Carefully peeking out through the rear windshield, he saw that July was nowhere to be found, so he didn't wait any longer before pulling the door handle and fumbling his way out of the car and onto the street.

The fact that no one had been there the previous day didn't stop Dave from scanning the streets, hurriedly confirming that he was alone before making sure the gun was tucked securely in his waistband- and making  _ extra _ sure that the safety was  _ on _ . Stepping onto the sidewalk, he shot one last glance over his shoulder before briskly walking in the opposite direction from where July had gone.

Dave quickly rounded the corner into the back alley and pressed himself back against the cool bricks, breathing deeply and sighing to himself.  _ Fuck _ .

He had a pounding headache, his heart was still racing, and his legs were about ready to give out. He wished he were anywhere else. He wished he could just close his eyes and wake up from this fucking nightmare, in a shitty motel room, sweating from the summer heat but still clinging onto Klaus regardless. Then he'd lean forward and press little kisses along Klaus's cheeks and neck, and Klaus would make these soft little sleepy noises and-

A muffled gunshot sounded through the wall. Followed by several more, all in a row.

Having been jolted from his reverie, Dave spun on his heels and ran for the first fire escape he saw, but he stopped when he noticed a window just peeking out above ground level. Dropping to his knees, he looked through it just in time to see Number Five running into the kitchen, followed closely by July. After a few more gunshots and out-maneuverings, Five disappeared into a flash of blue light and July had just enough time to turn and face the doorway before Klaus's other two brothers stormed in.

Dave was already feeling sick, so he stood up and continued toward the fire escape rather than staying to watch his former self knock the love of his life's family unconscious. He felt bad for not trying to help them too, but he could've easily gotten them killed with one wrong move, so it was safer this way.

Taking the first freezing cold rung into his hand, Dave hoisted himself up and began climbing the ladder as fast as his exhausted arms could carry him. When he reached the first small landing, he looked through the window and saw Klaus across the room, huddled up against the door, crying to himself.

Jesus, July had already scared him so badly. It made Dave feel even sicker. And when he saw Klaus clutching the dog tags tightly, he reached into his pants pocket and wrapped his fingers around his own. Or, his copy of the  _ same _ ones. It was a strange thought, but he didn't have time to think about time travel just now. He just had to fix this.

Letting go of the tags, he reached up and knocked on the window. Klaus's head shot up, and his eyes grew wider than Dave would've thought possible. "Davey!" he shrieked, causing Dave to cringe at the volume. But Klaus was too busy lunging over his bed and shoving the window open to notice Dave's face. "Dave, oh my God," he choked out, tears already forming in his eyes as Dave climbed in and was immediately tackled with a hug.

He grabbed Klaus's shoulders to push him back slightly, and to keep his balance while kneeling on the bed. "Klaus-" he tried to say, but Klaus just kept mumbling variations of, 'Oh my God, Dave,' before pulling him into a rough, needy kiss. Dave's eyes fluttered closed, and he melted into the beautiful touch for a moment before breaking it off.  _ Fuck, _ he'd barely even remembered what he was missing out on.

"Dave, baby-" Klaus started to say, but Dave cut him off.

"Klaus, you're in danger. We need to be quiet."

Klaus gulped and looked back over his shoulder, as if just now remembering that there was a hitman in the house with them. Well,  _ another _ one. "Right," he mumbled.

"Come on," Dave said, grabbing Klaus's hand and attempting to pull him to the window. Klaus's stare was still fixed on the door, though.

"Who is he?"

"Come  _ on _ , Klaus, we gotta go,  _ now. _ " The urgency in Dave's voice seemed to snap him out of his daze, and he nodded and followed, letting Dave grab him and help pull him out onto the fire escape.

The second they were out of view of the window, the pair heard the door fly open and slam against the wall. Klaus leaned over, and Dave tried to pull him back, but couldn't stop him from peeking into the room the tiniest bit and seeing the masked man within.

He shifted back over and looked at Dave, wide-eyed, whispering, "Who the hell is that?"

"Me," Dave said. "Let's go."

A growl of, "You little shit, I heard you in here!" came from within the room, and Dave quickly tugged Klaus along, gesturing for him to go first down the ladder. He nodded, and no sooner had Dave joined him than the squeak of bedsprings sounded into the alley. "Think you can get away from me that easily?!" the voice demanded.

Dave shouted to go faster just as July was climbing out onto the platform, and when he tore off his sunglasses and the two made eye contact, the masked man muttered, "What the hell-"

Klaus dropped down the last few feet, followed by Dave, but July was just seconds behind. Dave grabbed Klaus's hand and they both ran, but they hadn't even made it out of the alley when they heard the echo of July's shoes slamming against the pavement as he hit the ground. They both turned to look, and saw the man raising his pistol.

Klaus squeaked in fear, and buried himself in Dave's side as they heard him shout, "What the  _ fuck _ do you think you're doing, July?!"

"It's Dave!" he yelled back, his arm wrapping around Klaus to hold him close. "Look at yourself! You really can't see how she fucking brainwashed you?"

_ "She showed me the truth!  _ Something  _ you've _ clearly forgotten."

"I HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN  _ SHIT,"  _ Dave roared. "I remembered it!"

July huffed an exhale through his nose and lowered his gun a few inches. "Just hand him over and you don't have to get hurt. Or better yet,  _ you _ help me kill him. The kind of slow and painful death that he deserves."

Klaus let out a whimper, and Dave could feel his entire body tense. Dave growled, "You're gonna have to kill me first."

"No!" Klaus shouted, his eyes flying open again. But it was too late. July was already raising his pistol again, pointed directly at Dave's head.

"So be it!" he shouted, pulling the trigger.

_ Click. _

July pulled the trigger a few more times, each leaving him with the sound of an empty barrel. "What the fuck-"

"Hey." Dave used the arm that wasn't around Klaus to reach into his pocket. He held up the handful of cartridges and let them slip through his fingers and bounce off the pavement. "Looking for these?"

July threw the gun to the ground and snarled, "You fucking  _ bastard!" _ as he ran for Dave. But he hadn't made it two steps before Dave's gun was pulled from his waistband and a bullet was between July's eyes. He was dead before he hit the ground.

Dave felt Klaus's body relax slightly, but he could still feel that the other's heart was beating just as fast as his own. Somehow his aching limbs and back were soothed by Klaus's presence beside him, though.

After an eternity of silence, Klaus cleared his throat and whispered, "Can you tell me what the fuck just happened?"

"It's... a long story," Dave sighed. He held Klaus at arm's length and looked him in the eyes. The lover he'd left so long ago. He still couldn't  _ believe _ how much of the Handler's bullshit he'd fallen for. But all of those thoughts could wait and be unpacked at another time.

"Can you kiss me first?" Dave asked. Klaus nodded.

And they did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed it!! Omg I still can't believe it's finally finished (especially with that 3 and a half month hiatus oops-) But yeah!! Expect some more new stuff in the works now that this is done! Ily all <3


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